1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a film cartridge unloading or ejecting device for a camera, and more particularly, to a device for facilitating the unloading or ejecting of a film cartridge from a cartridge chamber in a camera when the lid member of the camera is opened.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Film cartridge ejecting devices are known to the prior art, and a specific type is shown in FIG. 6. As shown therein, the ejecting member a may move into and out of the cartridge chamber, and an operating member b which is unitary with the lid portion of the camera is positioned to activate member a. More specifically, as the lid member is opened through a given angle, the operating portion b will contact ejecting member a and a portion of member a will enter the cartridge chamber in order to force out film cartridge f.
This prior art device is not satisfactory since the lid operating portion b and the ejecting member a are constantly in contact with one another from a point when the lid is opened to a given angle until it is fully opened, and until the lid is again closed to an angle which is less than the given angle. Since the lid will normally have to be opened to a angle greater than the given angle in order to insert a film cartridge into the cartridge chamber, when the film cartridge is in fact inserted into the cartridge chamber, the ejecting member will be pushed back into its retracted position. This of course tends to force the lid to close and the ultimate result is that the photographer's finger is likely to get nipped between the lid and a wall of the cartridge chamber when the film cartridge is inserted. Thus, a quick exchange of film cartridges is impossible.
In addition, when the ejecting device is designed for enhancing the quickness of cartridge exchange such that the ejecting member will be moved during the initial phase of the lid opening procedure, a reduced spacing between the lid member and the top portion of the camera is produced at the point when the ejecting member is poised to project into the cartridge chamber. This results in the disadvantage that, when a film cartridge is positioned in the cartridge chamber, it remains very difficult to determine from outside the camera whether or not a film cartridge has been properly loaded. Thus, the cartridge can be improperly loaded, e.g., the film may be excessively paid out of the cartridge or the cartridge may be damaged when loaded, and the photographer would have no way of determining these conditions.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a cartridge ejecting device which will overcome these disadvantages in the prior art device.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a film cartridge unloading or ejecting device for a camera which allows for the unloading or ejecting of the cartridge while its lid member is fully opened and for the loading of a new cartridge without the need for moving the lid member towards its closed position.